Pages

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Open to letter to people of Sudan & South Kurdufân in particular

The following is a translation from Arabic:

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Call from Hizb ut-Tahrir Wilayah Sudan - To the people of Sudan in general and our people in South Kurdufân in particular.

The southern Kurdufân province is witnessing events of tribal nature that have resulted in a security vacuum and spread fire all over the region scorching the stalks and spilling of the forbidden innocent blood. People are deserting their villages. The poison of tribal prejudice has soaked the region which has become thick with wounds of tyranny, poverty and destitution. Let the ruler be warned that if the wise men do not shoulder the responsibility of reformation, the conflict will fan its fire.

For instance the events of the tribes of al-Mundal and al-Ma’aliya in July 2006 in the al-Farshaya region where seven person of al-Ma’aliya three of al-Mundal and another from the Barqu al-Sulaihat were killed and the security in region worsened with people from eleven villages deserting their homes. In August and September 2006, the events of al-Burqad and al-Ma’aliya occurred in the Shaqq al-Jamal region where two persons from al-Burqad were slain. In October 2006, the event of the sons of Nu’man and Mundal occurred resulting in twelve deaths and exodus from four villages. In December 2006, it was the event of al-‘owainat and Barqu al-Sulaihat in al-Dabkar where one person from the former and two from the latter were killed. In the current month of June 2007, there were clashes between the tribes of Dar Nu’ailah and Ghalfan and the situation continues to be grim in the area warning of a further rise in the conflict.

The tribal conflicts between farmers and herdsmen has been witness for a long time in a localized manner which was being locally solved wither by the parties involved themselves or local peoples leadership. The current conflicts exploding one after another resulting in one killing another are different from the earlier ones because the political forces in the region are highly polarised with one group aligned to the ruling party and others to the various opposition parties. These forces arm one group or another with weapons and instigate them with offensive sentiments and factional and tribal hate and abhorrence. They divide the tribes as being Arab or African and raising the disputes in the international kufr organisations like the United Nations repeating the scenario of Darfur.

The real solution to the issue is that all parties should adopt the Halal and Haram as the only criteria for their words and actions. They should as Muslims shun all other criteria and give them no consideration whatsoever.

I: The Tribal Bond:

The great Islamic bond “Islamic Brotherhood” which has been bestowed upon us by Allah (swt), He said:

And the Prophet (saw) said:(المُسلِمُ أخُو المُسْلِمِ)“A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim”

At the same time the Prophet warned us against the bond of tribal prejudice (‘asabiyyah) and fighting under its banner, he said:(دَعُوها فإِنّهَا مُنْتِنَةٌ)“Abandon it, for it stinks.”

And he (saw) said:(وَمَنْ ادّعَى دَعْوَى الْجَاهِلّيةِ، فَإِنّهُ مِنْ جُثَى جَهَنّمَ، فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولُ الله وَإِنْ صَلّى وَصَامَ؟ فَقَالَ وَإِنْ صَلّى وَصَامَ. فَادْعُوا بِدَعْوَى الله الّذِي سَمَاكُم المُسْلِمِينَ المُؤْمِنينَ عِبَادَ الله)“He, who invites for a call of Jahiliyyah, he is a corpse of jahannam, a person asked: “O Messenger of Allah (saw), even if he were to pray and fast?” The Prophet (saw) said: “Even if he prayed and fasted. Invite to the call of Allah (swt) who named you as Muslimeen, Mumineen and servants of Allah (swt).”

And he (saw) said:(من تعزى بعزاء الجاهلية فأعضوه بـِهَنّ أبيه، ولا تكنوا)“Whosoever boasts of something from the Jahiliyyah, cut (his boastfulness) and do not hide it i.e. do not let his boast go unchallenged.” (Musnad Ahmad & Ibn Hiban)

Hence, the tribal bond not only violates Islamic principles, it is born out of the love or loyalty to sovereignty and is an inhuman bond that begets enmity and conflicts between people, and it discerns and differentiates between a person and his brother where every clan feels that it deserves more than others to be the leader. Hence such people are overcome by declination and tend to help some and not others. This also results in not attaching much value to compliance by the Ahkam of Sharee’ah as also the criteria of Halal & Haram are no longer considered for undertaking actions. Such ‘asabiyyah is manipulated by shaytan and instigates people to compete with each other for the tribe’s leadership and not for the great Islamic ideology. Blood is spilled and sanctities are violated as it was during the pre-Islamic days of Jahiliyyah which Islam came to destroy!

It is this tribalism that makes a Muslim, who has already testified that there is no god but Allah (swt) and that Muhammad (saw) is His Prophet, kill his brother Muslim, or instigate his killing or conceal and protect his killers, each of which is a great munkar, Allah (swt) says:

“And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein; and the Wrath and the Curse of Allâh are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him.” [TMQ 04:93]

And the truly infallible Messenger said:

(لا تَرْجِعُوا بَعْدي كُفَّاراً يَضْرِبُ بَعْضُكُمْ رِقابَ بَعْضٍ)“Do not revert to become Kafir after I am gone, and kill each other’s necks.”

And he (saw) also said:

(لَزَوَالُ الدّنْيَا أهْوَنُ عَلَى الله مِنْ قَتْلِ رَجُلٍ مُسْلِمٍ)“The end or extinction of the world is smaller or more worthless for Allah (swt) than killing of a Muslim man.”

Such munkar tends to turn the issue from its correct context, which is the death of a person and that the blood relatives of the dead have the choice of either having the killer killed, or accepting blood-money or the killer is pardoned and blood-money be forgiven. This is because the Prophet is reported by Abu Huraira (ra) in Bukhari as saying:

And in Ibn Mjajah, Abu Shuraih al-Khuza’ee reports that the Prophet (saw) said:

(مَنْ أُصِيبَ بِدَمٍ أَوْ خَبْلٍ ( وَالخبْلُ الجُرْحُ) فَهُوَ بَالخِيَارِ بَيْنَ إِحْدَى ثَلاَثٍ. فَإِنْ أَرَادَ الرَّابِعَةَ، فَخُذُوا عَلَى يَدَيْهِ: أَنْ يَقْتُلَ أَوْ يَعُفُوَ أَوْ يَأخُذَ الدِّيَةَ. فَمَنْ فَعَلَ شَيْئاً مِنْ ذلِكَ فَعَادَ، فَإِنَّ لَهُ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِداً مُخَلَّداً فِيهَا أَبَداً)“If a relative of anyone is killed, or if he suffers a khabl, which means a wound, he may choose of the three things; he may retaliate or forgive, or receive compensation. But if he wishes a fourth (i.e. something more), hold his hands. And this whoever exceeds the limits, shall be in forever in hellfire.”

Instead of these options as the context in which to resolve the issue, it is being transformed into a tribal conflict which remains desperate, as a result, both the killer and his victim would in hellfire as the Prophet (saw) has forewarned:

(إِذَا الْتَقَى الْمُسْلِمَانِ بِسَيْفَيْهِمَا فَالْقَاتِلُ وَالْمَقْتُولُ فِي النَّارِ)“When two Muslims confront each other with their swords, both the killer and the killed are in hell-fire.”

II: Not Having the Political Endeavour based on Islam:

One of the biggest problems from which were are suffering in this country as in rest of the Muslim countries, is that the political activity is not based on a correct thought and ideology, that is Islam although Allah (swt) has commanded us just that, He said:

“Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islâm), enjoining Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do) and forbidding Al-Munkar (polytheism and disbelief and all that Islâm has forbidden). And it is they who are the successful.” [TMQ 03:104]

In fact undertaking political actions not based upon Islam but founded upon corrupted thoughts and concepts like, self interest and expediency has made the political powers a danger to themselves and a threat to others. Hence they consider power and authority as a benefit and work to protect it or to achieve it using any means without any ideological or ethical restraint or deterrence. This has put them in the care of foreigners as their puppets. They raise tribal and factional slogans which incite arson and turmoil, spills blood, violates sanctities, peoples lives are put to hardships and their fate on the day of reckoning is severely affected. All this is done merely to either achieve positions of power or if already there then to protect it.

III: The State’s Failure to meet its Obligations:

The State’s failure to administer public affairs in Kurdufan and other regions of Sudan in accordance with the commands of Islam which Allah (swt) has ordained when He said:

فَاحْكُم بَيْنَهُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ وَلاَ تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءهُمْ عَمَّا جَاءكَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ“So judge among them by what Allâh has revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging away from the truth that has come to you.” [TMQ 03:48]

It is this non-compliance with commands of Islam that has resulted in tyranny instead of justice; destitution in place of ensuring fulfillment of basic needs like, food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education and security. This is the cause of fear and uncertainty instead of security, peace and contentment. Indeed in it this violation of Islamic commands that has resulted in tribal authority and prejudice in place of state authority, resulting in weakened state assertiveness absence of Islamic justice. Jungle law prevails where the powerful overwhelms the weak, Islamic laws, thoughts; concepts and emotions are diluted and vanish; people are overtaken and governed by their base instincts and desires.

Oh Sincere Muslims: of Political Powers and other Parties:

Have fear of Allah (swt) and return to Him, and remember that you are responsible and accountable for the political parties and organisations that are based on principles other than Islam and so are their call non-Islamic. It is your duty to revert them back to the Islamic path of truth and keep in mind the call of Allah (swt):

“Is it then he who laid the foundation of his building on piety to Allâh and His Good Pleasure better, or he who laid the foundation of his building on the brink of an undetermined precipice ready to crumble down, so that it crumbled to pieces with him into the fire of Hell. And Allâh guides not the people who are the Zâlimûn (cruel, violent, proud, polytheist and wrong doer).”[TMQ 09:109]

Oh Sincere Muslims: in the government:It is your duty and obligation that you implement Islam and administer people’s affairs accordingly so that they enjoy and cherish its justice all over the land. One of the most important obligations is to ensure peace and security in the land, the Prophet (saw) said:

This implies that you do not repeat the scenario of Darfur by arming certain factions against others, instead consider them all equally based upon the Islamic ideology and do not forget that you are accountable to Allah (swt) for every drop of blood that is spilled and for every honour that is violated and trampled upon, and every dinar that is looted and for every soul that is terrorised and threatened. Ma’qal ibn Yassar (ra) reports having heard the Prophet (saw) say:

(ما من وال يلي رعيَّة من المسلمين، فيموت وهو غاش لهم، إلا حرَّم الله عليه الجنة)“There is no wali who has his Muslim subjects (people) and he dies while he had been cheating (or misleading them), except that Allah (swt) forbade him from jannah.”

And he (ra) also reports from the Prophet:

(ما من عبد يسـترعـيه الله رعية، فلم يحطها بنصـحـه، إلا لم يجد رائحة الجنة)“There is no servant of Allah (swt) who has been given charge of a people and he does not guide them correctly, except he will not even smell the air of jannah.”

We also remind you of the woman who said about Sayiddina ‘Omar (ra):

(أيتولى أمرنا ويغفل عنا)“Does he (i.e. Omar) take charge over us and keeps ignoring us?”

Remember that power and authority is something you are accountable to Allah (swt) for, and it is His Amanah on which He will account severely, Muslim reports on the authority of Abu Dharr (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said:

(وَإنّهَا أَمَانَةٌ. وَإنّهَا، يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، خِزْيٌ وَنَدَامَةٌ. إلاّ مَنْ أَخَذَهَا بِحَقّهَا وَأَدّى الّذِي عَلَيْهِ فِيهَا)“This (the Khilafah) is an amanah (custody or trust), and on the day of judgement will be a humiliation and repentance except for those who fulfilled its commands and fulfill the rights.”

Let the events of Darfur be a reminder and lesson for you.

Oh the people of Southern Kurdufan:

It is only Islam that can counter, restrain and destroy the () and so revert to being Muslims as brothers who love each other, as Allah (swt) said:

“And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allâh (i.e. this Qur'ân), and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allâh's Favour on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islâmic Faith), and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allâh makes His Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.,) clear to you, that you may be guided.”[TMQ 03:103]

“If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts, but Allâh has united them. Certainly He is All-Mighty, All-Wise.”[TMQ 08: 63]

(مثل المؤمنين في توادهم وتراحمهم كمثل الجسد إذا اشتكى عضو منه تداعى سائره بالحمى والسهر)“The Muslims are like a single body in terms of love and mercy on each other, if one part of this body suffers, the whole body stands up to protect it and remains restless.”

Therefore renounce and discard every tribal, factional and other prejudice that is not Islamic and this is our call to you.

Followers

Subscribe To

Please note that not all posts are based on the views of the administrators of this site. Please feel free to publish or circulate any material from this site, we would appreciate that you mention it's source. We endeavour to reply to questions posted through the comments on this site however we are not able to respond to all. Although we may reply to the questions asked based on the limited information given, for legislative questions in particular we advise all brothers and sisters to go to a trusted faqih (jurist) knowledgeable in the subject and to ask the question to them explaining the reality of it in a proper manner. This is especially important for complex issues.